Equipment

The Encompass Difference

The Encompass Inspections difference means having all of the best equipment on the market and much more technology than our competitors. You can see Encompass Inspections uses a myriad of different technologies to locate underground utilities and structures. Any tool by itself can be a great way to locate and track a single utility however there are a lot of great reasons to use multiple pieces of equipment on a given jobsite.

Pipe material type and soil conditions will change on each project and it is important to have a utility locator that has the technology to adapt and locate as many of the utilities as possible. In addition, there are many different types of concrete structures and different types of reinforcing or utilities embedded within concrete so we prefer to use multiple technologies to try to find every hidden element within the concrete.

RADIO DETECTION (RD)

This is the most common and best way to track conductive utilities that have visible access points on the surface. The Encompass technician will physically connect to the utility and transmit a radio signal down the length of the utility so that the utility can be found with a small hand-held receiver above ground. We use the Radio Detection RD-7000 device.

GROUND PENETRATING RADAR (GPR)

This equipment sends radar pulses into the ground or concrete to help find utilities and structures that are not visible on the surface. GPR is a great compliment to the radio detection unit when used on a utility locating survey. We use the GSSI Utility Scan SIR3000 with the 400MHz (typically used in underground utility locating applications) or 1600 MHz (typically used to find targets in concrete scanning applications) antenna.

ELECTROMAGNETIC INDUCTION (EMI)

This equipment is best used in areas that are larger and do not have much in the way of surface clutter. The EMI device notes changes in ground conductivity that might indicate something is buried below like an underground storage tank (UST) or utility line. Cars, fences, concrete, houses and other surface features can make the survey results difficult to interpret. We use the GSSI EMP400 system.

MAGNETOMETER (MAG)

SONDE (SD)

Can be attached to the end of a rodder to allow for pinpoint 3D locations of underground pipe systems. The sonde is located with the RD utility locator and can also help with finding utility lines that are non-conductive. We use various manufacturers of 512Hz and 8kHz sondes.

ACOUSTIC DETECTION (AD)

Typically this equipment is used to find leaks however it can be successfully used to find pipes that will not carry a conductive signal from the RD unit. Vibrating a pipe can often times allow for acoustic tracking from above. We prefer the Sewerin line of acoustic locators and have various models at our disposal.

PASSIVE LOCATING (PL)

Using this Goldak device, we can listen underground for actual 60Hz frequencies (power lines) and hear them with the headphones. RD units have a digital power locating option however it is not as accurate as this actual listening analog method. We use the Goldak 600 Power Cable Locator.

RODDER (RDR)

Similar to a fishtape, this device acts as a pushrod that can go down a non-conductive pipe so that a radio signal can be applied to it and it can be tracked with the RD unit. Sometimes a sonde may be attached to the end of the rodder for greater accuracy. Usually we use the Jameson models of rodders.

UTILITY MAPPING (GPS)

We prefer to use the Trimble line of GeoXH handheld devices to gain sub-decimeter accuracy whenever digital mapping is required. The information from the Trimble GPS can be exported to a Google Earth KMZ file or an AutoCAD DWG deliverable.

CAMERA SNAKE (CS)

A camera snake is used much like a rodder however there is the added benefit of having a camera at the end of the rodder in order to visually see and record the inside of the pipe. A sonde is usually built into the end of the camera snake. We currently use both the Amazing Machinery and Rigid models of camera snakes.

Crawler Camera (CCTV)

For pipes 8” or larger, we can use our crawler camera to inspect the pipe for cracks, breaks, debris...etc. We are even able to send our crawler into a large pipe (storm sewer, sanitary sewer), find the laterals and then send a smaller auxiliary push camera, actuated from the crawler itself, down into the separate laterals for further inspection. Our crawler camera is able to light up a 60” pipe very well and all of our recorded video is provided in HD as the deliverable. We use the Envirosight cameras.